VB .Net Tutorial - 16

Deploying .
NET Applications
Objectives
In this lesson, you will learn to:
☛Identify different types of deployment projects
☛Create a deployment project
☛Use editors in a deployment project
☛Deploy an application
☛Deploy a component
☛Deploy a Web service
©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 1 of 28

Deploying .NET Applications
Visual Studio .NET Deployment
☛Is a process of distributing the files that make up an
application to install it on target computers.
☛Involves the task of packaging all files and components and
creating a setup program that
✓ Copies all the necessary files to the target computer.
✓ Stores files in appropriate folders.
✓ Creates the necessary registry entries.
✓ Creates a Start menu item and an icon on the desktop
of a user computer to provide easy access to the
application.

Setup and Deployment Projects
☛Provide a number of templates for deploying different types
of applications depending on the type of application that
needs to be deployed and the mode of deployment. They
are:
✓ Setup Project
✓ Merge Module Project
✓ Web Setup Project
✓ Cab Project
✓ Setup Wizard

Setup Project Template
☛Is used to package all application files and create a
Windows Installer (.msi) file.
Web Setup Project Template
☛Is used to install a Web-based application.
☛Is similar to a setup project.
Merge Module Project Template

☛Is used to create a single package that contains all files,
resources, registry entries, and the setup logic necessary for
deploying a component.

☛Is similar to a dynamic link library (DLL), which allows
applications to share code with a difference that it allows
various Windows Installers to share the installation code.
☛Resolves any version-related problems by identifying all the
dependencies for a component and ensuring that the
correct versions of the components are installed.
Cab Project Template
☛Is used to package components that can be downloaded
from a Web server to a Web browser.
☛Is typically used when you want a component to execute on
a client computer instead of a Web server.

Deployment Project Editors
☛Can be used to specify the files that needs to be included in
the project and the registry entries to be made for the
application that has to be deployed.
☛Can also be used to customize the user interface.
☛Are of the following types:
✓ File System
✓ Registry
✓ File Types
✓ User Interface
✓ Custom Actions
✓ Launch Conditions
The File System Editor
☛Is displayed by default.
☛Displays a standard set of folders that represent the folder
structure on the target computer.
☛Contains the navigation pane and the details pane. The
navigation pane displays a list of folders. When you select a
folder, the files and shortcuts in the folder are displayed in
the details pane.
☛Can be used to add subfolders, special folders, or
custom folders to a deployment project. Special folders
represent some predefined Windows folders.

The File System Editor (Contd.)
☛Allows adding project outputs (such as .exe and .dll files)
and additional files (such as readme.txt) to a
deployment project.
☛Allows specifying the folders on the target computers to
which the application files are to be copied.

The Registry Editor
☛Provides a hierarchical representation of the registry on the
target computer.
☛Has a layout similar to that of the Windows Registry editor.
☛Is used to add registry keys and values to the registry on
the target computer.
☛Contains two panes, the navigation pane and the detail
pane. The navigation pane displays a standard set of
registry keys that correspond to the registry keys on the
target computer. They are:
✓ HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
✓ HKEY_USERS
✓ HKEY_CURRENT_USER
✓ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
The File Types Editor
☛Allows you to specify file types and file associations on a
target computer.

The User Interface Editor
☛Displays the dialog boxes that are automatically added by
Visual Studio.NET when you create a deployment project.
☛Is used to provide customized dialog boxes.
☛Contains a list of dialog boxes, which are divided into two
sections:
✓ Install
✓ Administrative Install
☛Categorizes dialog boxes as follows:
✓ Start dialog boxes
✓ Progress dialog boxes
✓ End dialog boxes
The Custom Actions Editor
☛Is used to add custom actions to a deployment project.
These actions must be compiled into a .dll or an .exe file
and added to the deployment project by using the File
System editor.

The Launch Conditions Editor
☛Is used to ensure that the version of the operating system
on the target computer is appropriate for running your
application or search the target computer for a
particular file or a key in the registry.
☛Can be used to add a number of launch conditions. These
conditions are:
✓ File launch condition
✓ Registry launch condition
✓ Windows Installer launch condition
✓ .NET Framework launch condition
✓ Internet Information Services launch condition
Just a Minute…
Which of the following deployment editors can be used to
specify Control Panel settings on the target computer?
a) File Systems editor
b) Launch Conditions editor
c) Registry editor
d) User Interface editor

Problem Statement 16.D.1
The development of the Call Center module for Diaz
Telecommunications is complete. The application now needs
to be shipped to the client so that it can be installed on user
computers. The installation process should perform the
following tasks:
☛Copy all application files to a user computer.
☛Create a shortcut on the desktop of a computer for starting
the application.
When a user begins installation, a license agreement should
be displayed to the user. The process of installation should
proceed only when a user accepts the license agreement.

Task List
☛Identify the type of deployment project to be used for
creating the installer.
☛Identify the editors to be used in the deployment project.
☛Create a deployment project.
☛Add the application files to the deployment project.
☛Create a shortcut for the application.
☛Add a dialog box to the deployment project.
☛Build the solution.
☛Execute the installer.

Task 1: Identify the type of deployment project to be
used for creating the installer.
Result:
☛In the given scenario, a Windows-based application is to be
installed. For this, you can use the Setup and Deployment
Projects project type and the Setup Project template.

Task 2: Identify the editors to be used in the
deployment project.
Result:
☛The following table lists the tasks to be performed by the
installation package and the editor that can be used to
perform the task:
Task Editor
Copy all files to the target computer File System editor
Create a shortcut for the application on File System editor

the desktop of a computer
Create a shortcut for the application on File System editor

the Programs menu
Display a license agreement to a user User Interface editor

Task 3: Create a deployment project.
Task 4: Add the application files to the deployment
project.
Task 5: Create a shortcut for the application.
Task 6: Add a dialog box to the deployment project.
Task 7: Build the solution.
Task 8: Execute the installer.

Deploying Components
☛COM components suffer from various problems relating to
deployment such as:
✓ Registration
✓ Versioning
☛The .NET platform solves the issues relating to the
deployment of components by using assemblies. An
assembly has the following features:
✓ Is self-describing.
✓ Records version information and enforces it at run time.
✓ Provides the ability to work with side-by-side
components.
Deploying Components
☛The process of deploying components involves the following
steps:
✓ Creating an assembly
➤ Single-file Assembly
➤ Multi-file Assembly
✓ Deploying an assembly

Just a Minute…
Consider the following files:
☛CalcDisc.VB
☛ProductDet.VB
List the steps that you will follow to create a single deployable
unit containing these two files.

Deploying Web Services
☛Is done simply by copying the .asmx file corresponding to
the Web service and the assemblies used by the Web
service to the destination computer that has Internet
Information Services (IIS) 4.0 or later installed on it.
☛Can also be done by using a Web Setup deployment
project.

Summary
In this lesson, you learned that:
☛Deployment is the process of distributing the files that
constitute an application.
☛To help you create a setup program for your application,
Visual Studio .NET provides a special project type called
Setup and Deployment Projects. This project type provides
a number of templates for deploying different types of
applications.
☛Visual Studio .NET provides four templates for deployment
projects. These are:
✓ Setup Project: Allows you to package all application files
and create a Windows Installer (.msi) file.
Summary (Contd.)
✓ Merge Module Project: Allows you to create a single
package that contains all files, resources, registry
entries, and the setup logic necessary for deploying a
component.
✓ Web Setup Project: Allows you to package all files of a
Web application or a Web service.
✓ Cab Project: Allows you to package components that
can be downloaded from a Web Server to a Web
browser.
☛Visual Studio .NET provides the following six editors in
deployment projects:
✓ File System: Allows you to add special folders, custom
folders, subfolders, and files to a deployment project.

Summary (Contd.)
✓ Registry: Allows you to add registry keys and values to
a deployment project.
✓ File Types: Allows you to specify file associations in a
deployment project.
✓ User Interface: Allows you to add and remove dialog
boxes from a deployment project.
✓ Custom Actions: Allows you to add custom actions to
the deployment project.
✓ Launch Conditions: Allows you to specify launch
conditions in a deployment project.
☛To solve the problems of registration and version pertaining
to the deployment of COM components, Microsoft has
introduced assemblies in its .NET platform.
Summary (Contd.)
☛An assembly has the following features:
✓ It is self-describing.
✓ It records version information and enforces it at run
time.
✓ It provides the ability to work with side-by-side
components.
☛An assembly may be embedded within a single DLL file.
Such an assembly is called a single-file assembly.
☛You can create a single-file assembly by using Visual
Studio .NET or the vbc compiler.

Summary (Contd.)
☛An assembly made up of multiple files is called a multi-file
assembly. In case of a multi-file assembly, at least one
of the files in the assembly must contain the assembly
manifest.
☛You can create a multi-file assembly by using the Al.exe
utility.
☛After creating an assembly for a component, you can create
a deployment project to deploy the component.
☛You can deploy a Web service simply by copying the .asmx
file corresponding to the Web service and the
assemblies used by the Web service to the destination
computer.
☛You can also use a Web Setup deployment project to
deploy a Web service.

VB .Net Tutorial - 16

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

VB .Net Tutorial - 16

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Deploying .

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 1 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 2 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 3 of 28

Merge Module Project Template

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 4 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 5 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 7 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 8 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 10 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 12 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 14 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 15 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 16 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 17 of 28

Copy all files to the target computer File System editor

Create a shortcut for the application on File System editor

Create a shortcut for the application on File System editor

Display a license agreement to a user User Interface editor

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 18 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 19 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 21 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 22 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 23 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 25 of 28

©NIIT Deploying .NET Applications/Lesson 16/Slide 27 of 28

You might also like